


For the country

by ysbelldelaurentis



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha!Bokuto, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Historical Fantasy, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mutual Pining, Omega!Akaashi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23220562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ysbelldelaurentis/pseuds/ysbelldelaurentis
Summary: The threat of war is looming over the continent as some nations rise in power. Of course, there are alliances to be made, sealed in what other way than marriage. Akaashi Keiji is the firstborn son, an Untouched omega, who presides over Fukurodani's Council. Bokuto Koutarou may belong to Nekoma's royal family and call Kuroo Tetsurou his brother, but he is adopted, forever shunned by nobles behind his back no matter his achievements. Now Bokuto must convince Akaashi to marry him to help them keep the war at bay for as long as possible.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 41
Kudos: 106





	1. an angry boi gets lost

**Author's Note:**

> hi! thought i'd use the quarantine to return to one of my fav ships! not a native speaker so if you find any mistakes don't be afraid to let me know in the comments!  
> happy shipping!

The clatter of the hooves against the hard ground of the forest path. His hands clutching the reigns far too tight, the leather burning the skin on his hands. Did he forget his gloves? Wind in his eyes, causing them to tear up just a little bit. Or maybe it wasn’t the wind. 

He did not know if he rode for hours or minutes when he arrived to a small pond. The horse, breathing hard, did not even wait for his master’s orders before he bent down to drink. Bokuto’s thoughts were interrupted by the sudden shift and before he knew it he tumbled onto the ground and into the thankfully shallow pond. How could he forget the saddle? 

There is one thing that should be quite obvious to all of us; you don’t remember to pack a change of clothes when you even forgot your saddle. 

That is how Bokuto Koutarou, the second prince of Nekoma, happened to be in the middle of the forest, not even knowing where, or which forest exactly, stark naked and splashing with his horse in a pond. That is when the guards came. 

“Hands in the air! State the reason for your presence here!” a booming voice filled the air along with a cloud of dust as their horses came to a halt right at the edge of the pond. 

Bokuto’s face changed colour like leaves in autumn and he ducked underwater so that just his head was sticking out. “I was just on a ride and my horse decided I needed a bath, so I took one. Do you think I can have my clothes, sir? They’re hanging over there on that tree,” Bokuto pointed. 

After he was dressed, though still mortified, Bokuto calmed down a bit. He had no idea where he was and these men could at least point him in the right direction home. “I might have gotten a tad lost on my ride,” he rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Do you think you could point me to Nekoma city?” 

“Of course, you can come with us to the main road, from there it’s a two or three days ride, depending on your horse. Be careful though, we’re looking for some bandits who are robbing carriages carrying taxes,” the guy Bokuto supposed was the leader warned him. 

Two or three days ride would mean he was about fifty miles, maybe more, away from the city, meaning he crossed the border and ended up in Fukurodani. He should have noticed right away from the guards' uniforms, but he was too caught up in his embarrassment. There was no way he could get back home today. Shit. 

One of the guards suddenly turned to him “Don’t I know you from somewhere? I can’t shake the feeling I’ve seen you already. I’m Komi Haruhi, by the way,” he extended his arm towards Bokuto. 

“Hello Haruhi-san, my name is Bokuto Koutarou, but I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Now, don’t you have any idea if there’s any good in along the way to the capital? I don’t think my horse can make it much further.” 

Out of the blue, all the guards stopped in their tracks, almost causing Bokuto’s horse to crash into the horse in front of them. The leader turned to him, face all serious, “You mean you are Bokuto Koutarou, the prince of Nekoma? Your Highness, you should have said so much earlier. Konoha Akinori, captain of the guard to your service. You could come with us to Fukurotoshi since His Majesty wanted to send for you anyway. It’s just a few miles away.” 

“Yeah, I guess there’s no harm in doing that.” 

The weariness overtook Bokuto like a thief in a dark alley after midnight and so the moment he was shown to his rooms he fell on the bed, barely managing to take off his shoes. He was so tired that he didn’t even try to argue to himself that he already bathed today and was, therefore, properly clean. He was not and he didn’t care even one bit. 

When the Shirofuku Yukie came to bring him dinner and fresh clothes he was already sound asleep, snoring lightly while sprawled over the whole bed and tangled in the sheets. 

*** 

When he got out of bed, he ached even in places he did not know he had until now, especially his butt felt like it would be impossible to sit on for at least a month and his thighs wobbled when he tried to stand up. At least he woke up by himself so there weren’t any servants around to watch his very undignified attempts at stretching out. 

There was a note saying he would be fetched by the servants to attend a private breakfast with His Majesty the King. Beside the note was a pile of clothes he assumed he was supposed to wear. The harem pants were too loose for his liking, but at least it would not be as apparent that his walk was somewhat weird, and the shirt was too tight, but at least it was sleeveless. It was, however, the belt that posed the greatest problem for poor Bokuto. Had he not seen it worn many times before, he would have probably used the long strip of fabric as a scarf. To get it to resemble even the simplest tie took him well over an hour. Even though it ended up crooked and overall a bit weird, he was proud he managed to get it done himself. 

The servants came for him sometime in the late-ish morning, even though he had no way to tell others from the busyness of the palace and how fucking hot it was. His rooms were on one of the upper floors of the building, but to get the breakfast they were heading all the way down and into the king’s private garden. 

The garden was, Bokuto thanked the gods, filled with trees with cloth hanging between them, creating nice cool shades. It smelled heavenly too and every inch not covered by wooden planks was covered in flowers of all kinds. The only building-like structure was a tent made out of flowy fabric that gently swayed in the breeze. It had no floor, Bokuto noticed, just the same planks that the pathway they came on was made out of. Here, though, the wood was covered in many thin blankets and dozens of pillows of all sizes, surrounding the small table in the centre of the tent. 

“Welcome to my secret little hide-out, Bokuto-san,” greeted him the King. He waved at the servants to leave and then turned back to Bokuto. “Sit down and let me pour you some tea.” 

They drank their tea in silence, waiting for the food to be brought in. It was obvious that the King had no intention of starting the conversation just to be interrupted by the servants. Thankfully it took them just a few minutes to bring various trays filled with all kinds of fruits and pastries. 

When the servants left the garden, the King spoke again “Before we start, I have already sent a messenger to your family about your whereabouts. Now, you are soon to be married to one of my children, making us family. From what I gathered about your arrival here, I can tell that you probably stormed out when you were told about the betrothal, meaning you either don’t want to marry someone chosen for you or you don’t want to marry at all. I don’t care which one it is since I won’t allow you to endanger the fragile peace I spent most of my life protecting. 

“With that said, you don’t even know about the real thing we were negotiating about since our two families joining is a given thing. It is which of my children you will marry. I offered my eldest daughter, a beautiful omega just a few years younger than you are, but your brother insists on my eldest, Keiji. 

“To be frank, I don’t think you are good enough for Keiji since you are adopted and not a blood member of the royal family, but it is not important what I think. Our kingdom is a very traditional one and I can’t lose the support of my Lords over such matter. I was advised by my Council, however, that if Keiji decided to marry you himself, there would surely be no objections.” 

“But Your Majesty, haven’t you just said he was an omega?” Bokuto asked, visibly confused. 

“You probably haven’t heard about the Untouchables, since it’s an antiquated custom banned in your kingdom almost a century ago. It is a very complex thing, but I’ll try to explain it a little bit to you. By not allowing omegas to be touched, their scent was stronger and purer, making them more desirable to alphas. It evolved a lot over the centuries, making the restrictions stricter and stricter and the status of these omegas higher and higher. There is an ancient rule, that if the firstborn child of the current ruler is an omega, he is to be Untouched. If there are no more heirs and the ruler dies, this omega can inherit the throne. 

“It is a very cruel thing, I will not lie to you, but it made Keiji who he is today. He presides over my Council and manages most of the affairs of the royal family. Your brother is very smart, Bokuto-san. There is one thing that would make your and Keiji’s union exceptional. You can’t inherit the throne since you are not of the royal blood, but Keiji can since he is an Untouchable.” 

Now Bokuto felt bad for reacting how he did. The way the King said it, his marrying somebody was inevitable. He should have known with the war looming over them there were alliances to be made and Nekoma and Fukurodani were always close. 

“And what does he think?” Bokuto asked carefully. He knew very well what most of the nobility thought about him: good-for-nothing, undeserving of his position, lesser than them. That’s why he never bothered with politics. They would never accept him, no matter how hard he tried. 

The King laughed, making Bokuto almost jump up from his cushion. “He doesn’t know yet. You will propose to him and give him a good enough reason to accept. Now the servants will take you to the jeweller so you have a ring to propose with.” 

The servants first brought him to his rooms to get changed, which he was thankful for since his clothes started to get damp with sweat. The clothes he got now were far fancier than the ones before. The pants were almost the same pattern, but from much flowier and lighter fabric with gold embroidery around the ankles spreading up to his knees. He could see intricate tree-like patterns and some birds. Wait, were they owls? That was so cool. The tunic he got was semi-sheer white with a very deep neckline and this time sleeves, but it was much airier, almost as if he wore nothing at all. This time they even got him jewelery. Dozens of gold bracelets for both his wrists and ankles and a simple gold circlet. The only thing of his own he wore was the gold necklace with a charm in the shape of the family crest. 

Now he had to think of the best ring to propose to a person he never met before. “What is your name?” he turned to the servant with him. 

“Shirofuku Yukie Your Highness, but everyone calls me just Yukie.” 

“Well, what is the King’s firstborn like?” 

“Akaashi-sama? He is very smart and serious. He doesn’t like social gatherings so he never attends any of them, even though he plans them all. He only leaves his palace to preside over the Council and to meet his father.” 

“Wow, I wish I could do that,” Bokuto sighed. 

“I wish I could go to one of the dinners! There are usually so many beautiful Alphas around. I understand why Akaashi-sama would not want to. If anyone were to touch him, even by accident, they would be executed and that could be some nasty political business to deal with.” 

“They would what?” Bokuto gasped in disbelief. 

“You know he is the Untouchable, right?” 

“Yeah, I know that I just didn’t know you guys took this so seriously. I thought it was more of a status thing,” Bokuto shrugged. 

“Well, we had to execute two nobles who thought trying to violate this rule would be a good idea. They haven’t managed to do so since Akaashi-sama defended himself, but they were executed anyway. Nasty business.” 

Okay, so it was not just a plain threat. An important thing to remember: never stand too close to the prince. “Okay, but what about the stuff that he likes? His favourite colour? Anything to help me choose a particular piece of jewellery for him?” He still didn’t know how many people knew about this whole thing, but it would be probably best not to say too much. He had no doubts his big mouth would betray him, eventually, but he didn’t have to help it, did he? 

“Your Highness, first of all, I know about your proposal to Akaashi-sama, but the only other people who know are Council and of course His Majesty. The rest knows you will marry one of the children and that it’s still undecided which one of them it is, which is, in essence, true.“ 

“Why do you know, though? No offense Yukie, but it seems like kinda high-end info right now. Are you from the royal family? Or a spy on a secret mission? Oh! Maybe you are the King’s secret lover.” 

Yukie tried to stifle her laughter, but it bubbled onto the surface, making her cover her face with both hands. “I manage all of the servants in the palace as well as everything that is needed for its day-to-day operations.” 

“Yukie, that is so great, that means you know what he likes and stuff, right?” Bokuto almost bounced with excitement. 

“I suppose more than any other servant, but it’s still not much. He’s always been very private. People choose jewellery to compliment their looks though, so I could show you a portrait of him? And on the way there I can tell you everything I know?” 

“You’re a blessing Yukie! Let’s go!” Bokuto grabbed her hand and rushed forward, but stopped after a few steps “Where are we going exactly?” 

“Just follow me. Now, as I already told you I don’t know much, but there are a few things. Firstly, I’ve been to his palace many times and it is filled to the brim with books and flowers. He loves both and when people bring him gifts it’s usually one of these two. He also really likes music and dancing, I only know because he asked me multiple times to arrange a spot for him to watch or listen where there is a show he doesn’t want to attend publicly. I think I heard that he used to play some instrument a lot when he was little, maybe a violin? Also, I don’t think he likes jewellery too much since he wears just his circlet, except for parties where it’s required as a status symbol. Aaand we’re here.” 

She sneaked them into one of the paths for servants, holding his hand not to get lost or trip in the dark. 

“Are you keeping portraits of the royal family here? In this dark? You must reeeeeally love them,” whispered Bokuto into the almost eerie silence. 

“We’re going to the throne room that’s locked right now and I guess you don’t want to cause the commotion by using the main entrance, do you?” 

“If you say so Yukie. Maybe you just wanted an excuse to hold my hand. I heard I am irresistible to ladies,” Bokuto winked at her and laughed, although the wink might have been lost in the dark. 

The throne room was like any other throne room Bokuto has seen. He might have even seen this one already. Probably yes. A big chair on an elevated surface because being the king was not enough, tons of space on the sides for the nobles to loiter around and judge. Here they at least had the family portraits. 

“Here he is. This one was done I think two months ago.” He was beautiful. Even on the painting, he had the most captivating blue eyes Bokuto has ever seen, thin eyebrows and pursed lips that both added to somewhat exasperated expression. His hair was black and reached all the way to his waist. He wondered if it was as smooth as it looked. 

Bokuto hoped he was not as beautiful in real life because that could make keeping his composture around this man very hard. And he was supposed to propose to him. Fuck. 

“Come on Your Highness, we have to go get the ring done for it to be ready at today’s dinner for you to propose,” Yukie rushed him from the painting. 

FUCK.


	2. proposals and dreams and stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello peeps! have i already mentioned how much i love writing from Bo's pov? like he's such a mess, but aren't we all?

"This is  Sakurui -san, he will be making the ring. Please bear in mind he has about seven hours to finish it .  Sakurui -san, this is  Bokuto-sama , the second prince of  Nekoma , who is in a desperate need for an engagement ring. Please do your best,” she waved at both of them and disappeared before  Bokuto could even say anything .

“Well, do you have anything in mind?”  Sakurui asked, slightly wiggling his bushy eyebrows .

The workshop looked more like  a lair of some wizard or a sorcerer rather than a serious workshop of the king’s jeweller.  There seemed to be tools and stones and bits of metal on every possible surface and  Bokuto had to have his hand swatted away many times as some of the ba ubles were almost too tempting not to touch. 

Sakurui droned on and on about various stones and metals and popular trends, to which  Bokuto really tried to listen, if only  they were somewhere else and not in... Hey! A cat made out of precious stones! And  a dragon brac elet, so cool!

In the end, they decided to use aquamarine ( Bokuto decided that was the one the moment he laid eyes on it and clutched the stone for the rest of the tour) set on a golden band. The  s tone would have around  it petals m ade out of white gold that would continue as little vines around the main band.

“ Sakurui -san? Do your  thing you could engrave something on the inside?” asked  Bokuto , rubbing his hands sheepishly. “It’s a tradition back home  and you’re supposed to think it up yourself. Well, I haven’t even met the omega, but  I was thinking  _ who leaps for the sky may fall, but he may fly.  _ What do you th ink, is it too weird?”

“No, Your Highness, I think it will do just fine. Now, however, we really need to start working to finish in time, so if you could please. . .” he almost pushed  Bokuto out of the workshop and into the arms of the poor unsuspecting servant waiting for him there.

***

His rooms were boring. Staying in them for hours with no one to talk to was boring. He was bored and anxious at the same time.  He could not concentrate. It was too hot and bright to sleep.  He already took a bath to wash out the sweat, but he still felt stick y.  Maybe it was the hair.  Bokuto wanted to go home already.

Finally , Yukie, like a true prince in shining armour,  arrived to save him from himself and his wretched boredom only to throw him to another beast, this one far, far worse. 

“We need to get you into some proper clothes  Your Highness,” Yukie  almost sang as she  turned around him, rushing to get him out of his clothes . “You will be all nice and shiny when I’m finished with you, not even  Akaashi-sama will be able to resist the temptation .”

"You’re the first lady to try and get me out of my clothes with so much force and you even manage to insult me while doing that. Do you  wanna tell me I’m not always  nice and shiny?”  Bokuto dramatically grasped his chest and draped himself over the bed,  which might have looked almost graceful, ha d he not tripped over  the pants pooled at  his ankles and faceplanted into the bed.

The trip to  Akaashi’s palace seemed endless and way too short at the same time.  What if he said no? Worse, what if he laughed into his face? There was no point in asking these questions since there was no way to back out  of this  mess.

He smelled the palace before he could even see, the smell of exotic flowers and old books assaulting his nose . The whole building was beautiful, more like a shrine of some  n a t u r e g o d , m o s t o f i t s e x t erior covered in vines.  Under all the greenery the structure was painted blue with white details , matching the clothes of the person stan ding in front of it, making them almost invisible.

“ Shirofuku -san, thank you for bringing my guest here. You are free to leave now, ” the person in the shadows said. Only now  Bokuto realised Yukie was on the ground, her  forehead glued to the ground. 

“Thank  you, Your  Highness . When shall I come back to  bring him back to his rooms?” she asked.

“I will escort him  myself, you needn’t worry . Now go, I am sure my guest has important things he wants to discuss , ” he sent her away. “Please pardon my  discourtesy, I am  Akaashi Keiji and you must be my guest,  Bokuto Koutarou .” His voice was soft and melodic, almost like a lullaby, drawing Bokuto closer.

He rushed to the main entrance where  Akaashi was standing to greet him, but mainly to finally see the man in person. “The one and only, Your H ighness! I’d offer you my hand but I heard it may have unpleasant consequen ces for my neck and I’ve quite grown attached to it over the years,”  Bokuto joked to ease both his nerves and the weight of the little box in his pocket.

“Come on in then, the dinner is getting cold,”  Akaashi gestured with his hand inside . Without waiting he turned around and set off, never checking whether  Bokuto was following.

His whole palace was like a maze of  hallways and corridors, all filled with bookshelves filled with books .  T he occasional spaces that were not occupied by the literature  were taken up by potte d plants of all kinds, some of them even used as bookends. There were even flowers in pots that were hanging from the  ceiling.

The room the dinner was prepared it was in such a stark contrast with all the others Bokuto  would have sworn they were in a different building altogether . The room was empty.  Well, technically not empty, since there was the table and, of course, the food. Otherwise, there were only  three white walls, the fourth consisting mostly of a plain sliding door, and the wooden floor. 

But there was food, and in the end, that was the only thing that mattered . After a slight nod from Akaashi Bokuto happily sat down and  starting wolfing up everything, only now realising how hungry he was.  Or maybe he was just procrastinating talking about the proposal, but who knows?

Then Bokuto made the mistake of looking up from his plate and meeting his host’s face,  his last remaining brain cell abandoning him at the sigh t o f t h o s e e y e s u n a b a s h e d l y watching his every move. “Will you marry me?” he stuttered before he could stop himself.  Shit.  _ Shit.  _ He had to do something quickly. Pull out the ring.  _ Pull out the ring. _ Smile.  Try not to look like a dumbass. Or a psychopath. Why isn’t he saying anything?

“I assume you mean this as a serious question,” stated finally  Akaashi , waiting for Bokuto to confirm. 

“Yes.” Did his voice shake a little? No, not , he was prepared for this.  He was prepared to seduce the prince with his careful reasoning of why everything would go to shit if they didn’t do this . 

Then there was silence, the kind not even Bokuto dared to interrupt.

“Yes,” Akaashi finally  said. Bokuto yelped in surprise, almost knocking off everything around him. 

“You really will? I don’t have to convince you or anything?”

“It doesn’t take a genius to know you were going to ask,” Akaashi laughed . “You come here, the whole palace buzzing about you marrying one of my father’s children after  Kuroo-san's last visit. You meet my father , only to visit  Sakurui -san afterwards, meaning you were here to propose.  Now, since the only other appointment you have is this one with me, and given  Nekoma’s political situation ,  it would be foolish of me not to consider it beforehand.”

The only thing Bokuto could manage was a silent  _ Oh _ .  After a while, he finally dared ask “And what do you want? You know, without all this,“ he gestured wildly into the air.

Akaashi looked at him for the first time. Not like  _ looked _ looked at  him,  but it seemed that for the first time he was seeing Bokuto and not a pawn in the great game of politics or a  potential further alliance with Nekoma.  And the eyes he loo ked at him with were beautiful, but so sad when they lost all their sharpness. It made Bokuto want to cry. He didn’ t.

“I want to be, for at least just a while, to be able to get lost in the crowd,  to be invisible, the same as the others. I don’t want to endanger people with my mere presence anymore . I want to run away , but I know that’s not possible, so I do what I  have to . And you? What do  _ you _ want?”

“I wanted to find the love of my life. Int roduce them to my family. Not Kuroo, though of course to him too, but the people from the village I grew up in.  Ask them to marry me on a beautiful summer day in the middle of a meadow full of flowers. We would  get married in my hometown, not anything grand, but flower crowns and  friends and good drinks. But  I don’t want to go to war ever again, so here I am.”

***

He was supposed to work on the report on catching the bandits waylaying the carriages with taxes, but instead, he was playing with the ring Bokuto-san gave him. He chuckled to himself. Bokuto-san was so afraid of touching him or breaking some rule he just pushed the box with the ring across the table, but since it was so full of plates and bowls and food, he had to zig-zag between them, making him seem  like a small child instead of a proposing prince.

“Is there anything I can help you with, Sh irof uku-san?” Akaashi asked just as she was about to  come into his quarters. 

She immediately fell on the ground, obviously not expecting him to notice her so soon.  “Your father wants you to know that you are to leave  with Bokuto-san tomorrow to settle in your new home as soon as possible, Your Highness.  We’ve already packed some of your clothes and other necessities, but if you have any items you want to brin g with you please let us know. The rest of your things will be delivered  at a later date .”

Akaashi had no idea he would be leaving so soon.  Already tomorrow?  That would mean the wedding would also be in Nekoma  and not Fukurodani like he expected it to be.  “When are  we leaving?”

“His Majesty wants to have breakfast with you and Bokuto-san with him setting you off afterwards, Your Highness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! or bye! idk. do you have any idea how to write emojis in here?


	3. your meltdown might ruin your make-up but it will bring you closer with your fianceé

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! sorry for the wait! i hope u enjoy it, i included some of Bo's backstory  
> 🦉🦉🦉

There may be some people you want  to spend a two-day carriage ride with. There might be some you wouldn’t mind keeping you company. Then the re is your  fiancée , whom you only met yesterday and aren’t particularly thrilled to marry.

His heart pounded so loudly he could not hear a word of what  Bokuto and his father chatted about. The food turned to ash on his tongue and he ate barely a few bites, but no one thankfully seemed to notice.  Or maybe they did. He wouldn’t know, too preoccupied with the overwhelming dread . No matter how much he found the palace and  all of its scheming  annoying, no w that he had no other choice but to, he realised he did not want to leave.

Akaashi tried to rationalize with himself. It was  normal to be afraid to leave the only place you’ve ever  known.  _ But you know Nekoma culture like the back of your hand _ , he tried to reason.  J _ ust a few dozens of miles north.  _ _ You met most of the important people already. _ _ Don’t panic.  _ His hands started to shake.

It felt as if the breakfast had taken forever and no time at all at the same time, but in the  end, it just left him with his husba nd-to-be expectantly staring at him. “Shall we go get your stuff,  Akaaashi ? What did you pack?” When  Akaashi didn’t respond, he just continued peppering him with questions. “Are you mad at me? Is it because  I talked so much with your father and not you? I’m sorry  Akaaaaashi , I did not want you to  get tired of me before we even started the journey. I know I can be... too much sometimes. And you looked like  you weren’t up for a chat anyway.”

“What makes you think I want to chat now?” Akaashi snapped at him,  but Bokuto stayed undeterred.

“You’re cute when you’re grumpy, but we need to hurry now,  we have to be there by nightfall and the horses can’t get overexerted, so it’s walking speed all day. Come on , let’s get your stuff.”

In a way, he was glad Bokuto was there to carry his stuff since he  doubted he could even lift the heavy chest filled mostly with books and some spare  warmer clothes for the evening. On the other  hand seeing his  betrothed lift it with absolute ease, as if it was a mere feather, muscles visibly rippling under the thin shirt , made him feel hot all over his body.  _ It is an arranged marriage, it doesn’t  _ _ matter that he is fucking hot _ , he had to reprimand himself for his emotions to not show on his face.  _ I bet he would have no problem lifting me. _

Thankfully it did not take long for them to set off. Bokuto fell asleep soon after, peacefully napping on a pile of  pillows, so at least Akaashi could let his guard down for a while. Oh, how he wished he could also drift into sweet  unconsciousness after a sleepless night . 

The side windows of the carriage were closed, leaving only two small openings in the ceiling . He tried to tune out the slight bumping and the sounds coming from the outside  in an attempt to pretend he was still home . He picked up a book to read, but he could not concentrate, the words one big  blur . How long  was he staring at one page? 

“Hey Akaash, are you crying?” Bokuto asked tenderly, his face suddenly only centimetres from  Akaashi's .  _ When did he wake up? Wait, was he crying?  _

“Get away from me!” he lashed out.

“It’s okay, ‘Kaash, I know how you feel .  I promise it’s not as terrible as it seems now. Besides, you have me and  Kenma and Kuroo and we  wouldn’t allow for anything to happen to you.” Oh, how Akaashi hated his soothing voice promising his worst nightmares were just that and those big, expressive eyes, full of understanding . He hated how he could probably scream to his face and  the man would not budge, let him take out  all of the bottled emotions on him. And  so he did just that.

“ How dare you assume that you know anything about how I feel!  Of course, you are calm and full of promises, because this marriage will change absolutely nothing for you.  The only inconvenience for you is that you won’t be able to publicly chase after other omegas, but guess what? E ven if you will get bored of me and find some  pretty little omega, parading her in front of me, I won’t be able to do anything. 

“ How dare you assume to know what it’s like for me to leave behind the only place I’ve ever been to, the life I had  painstakingly built when no one believed there should be an omega in a place of power.  And now I am not given even time to pack my things or say goodbye to everyone . How could someone like you even know how I feel right now?”

Akaashi was right. Bokuto-san did not  yell back, just stared at him for a while, probably waiting whether he had finished or not.  Bokuto grabbed one of the large blankets and wrapped Akaashi in it until the only part of him showing was his face .  Then his large arms snaked around the heap that was now Akaas hi .

“The way I became a part of the royal family is not a well-known fact .. . “

***

Bokuto could barely breathe, crushing the hem of his best tunic in his hands as he tried to see out of t he small window their visitors. The Royal family!  He’ll probably never see them again. Out of the biggest carriage stepped out a  man and a woman in the tail with two boys about his age. The older one had a mess of black hair , tugging the other one away from their parents. 

Oh, how Bokuto wished he could go play with them. But his  Auntie said not to get in to trouble today, so he had to stay  with her inside while she prepared lunch.  In a while, he would have to peel his eyes from their visitors and bring it  to the miners. He wished they would let him use the elevator just this once . T he caves were hard to navigate  in the dark and the Royals would surely be gone by the time he came back. 

“Koutarou stop staring at them! Do you think they’d ever care about an orphan like yo u? You might get into trouble with their big-city manners and rules!  Now come get th is already, ” she pushed the sa ck of food into his arms and pushed him out of the door.

He traipsed through the caves. He was proud of how fast he could  navigate through them, the way none of the other villagers could.  Water splashed around his ankles, but he did not care since he already took off his shoes before going into th e caves. After all, he only had one pair, so they were for special occasions only. 

The opening connecting the caves with the mine was small and he had to be careful not to ruin his best tunic. Thankfully t he men were already waiting for him, helping him push the big sack through. While they ate, Bokuto told them all about the Royal family. How big their carriage was, how fancy their clo thes were,  made out of fabrics he had never seen before. How elegant their horses were and how many soldiers they brought with them.

“Now hurry up Koutarou, you might still catch them leaving!” one of the men playfully nudged him into the shoulder and Bokuto set off like a rocket.

He was already halfway through when he heard it. Someone was calling . He could not make out the words, but he assumed it was for help. But worst of all, it was from the direction where the big bad bear lived.  He had to act now.

He hid his sack in one of the vents. He’d come for it later, now it would only be a nuisance .  He skipped soundlessly through the paths, knowing exactly where to step.  The darkness enveloped him, the only things he could sense being the dampness that seeped into his clothes and the calling, getting louder and louder.

Then he finally saw them. The two Royal boys, huddled in a hole , hiding from the bear pacing just a few metres away. Oh, this was a problem . 

Thankfully Bokuto knew these caves like the back of his hand and the hole they were hiding was not a hole at all. It was a tiny passage  that leads to the bear's lair, but that would be empty now, wouldn’t it? It took Bokuto almost no time at all to  get to the boys, but the real challenge was to get them out. They did not know how to move in the dark and were sure to attract the bear's attention.

“Hi, I’m Bokuto Koutarou and I’m going to get you out of here . I’m going to  lure it back to its lair, so when I yell ‘Now!’, you’re going to run as fast as you can i n that direction,” he pointed. “I will catch up with you and lead you out.” With  that, he disappeared.

While Bokuto might have put up  a brave front, he was terrified. The bear already killed some of the men that tried to kill it in the past , so a ten-year-old Bokuto would be like killing a fly. 

He shouted as loud as he could so that the bear would come after him. In between his shouts he could hear it stomping towards him . Then there it was, its ugly face rearing from behind the corner, saliva dripping from its bared fangs.

“Now!” Bokuto yelled and turned around to run. If they were lucky, the bear would try to get  to him through the third passage he was running through, nervous sweat dripping from his chin. It was too narrow for the bear, Bokuto tried to reassure himself.

He did not even turn around the corner before he heard them. “Come on  Kenma , we have to go! ”

The smaller boy must have tripped and hurt his leg, lyin g on the floor like a snack for the bear. But Bokuto would not allow that! He made a promise and he was going to keep it. He picked up the boy, who was surprisingly light , almost like the sack he with food he carried every day . 

The taller boy was about to say something, but Bokuto hushed him and they started running. The bear was sure to noti ce them very soon with the amount of noise they made, but the passage leading outside would narrow  soon, so they just had to get there. Only a few turns now. Come on. His legs started to shake. He could he ar the distinct thumping behind them, getting closer.

Just around the corner. Only a few dozen steps. The bear was practically breathing behind their neck. Bokuto push ed the older boy into the narrowing passage, b ut his legs felt sluggish, too slow compared to the bear. Then he could feel the bear's claw s reaching for him. Tearing his tunic. Excruciating pain. 

But the impact of the blow pushed him far enough so that he was now out of reach.  The chase was over. He could finally catch his breath. 

The older one helped him with the limping boy, each letting him  lean on one of their shoulders. That was how they made it out of the cave, right into  the middle of the crowded guards. One step. Two steps.  Bokuto’s head was spinning. He tried to call ou t to his Auntie, but then everything went dark.

When he woke up, he was in a carriage and he couldn’t move.  Terror overcame his whole being. Was he being punished? Where was everyone? Where were they taking him? Why was he tied down? He yel led, but no one answered his questions. He was alone. 

There was just this man who gave him water and food, but even he refused to communicate. When they arrived at wherever it was, they locked him up  in a room, letting him see just a doctor who inspected his wounds.

When he healed up, they gave him a uniform, cut his hair and made him train with the other soldiers, most of them about a de cade older. Oh, how he tried not to cry at night. To be brave. To hope  that anyone would start talking to him, beside barking orders. To not think about how he might not see everyone from his village ever again.

After a year of rigorous training, both mental and physical , of everyone constantly yelling at him, of extended legs during lunch for him to trip over, of  daily sparing with men four times his size, the Royal family came for him.  He was strong enough to be part of them. To protect their only son for the rest of their lives.

***

Now Akaashi felt terrible for yelling earlier. How could someone  do that to a child?  And how did he manage to stay so excited about everything? But he did not have time to ask those questions since Bokuto-san just patted h im on the back and left the carriage.

Before jumping out, he turned to him and said “I asked Yukie to pack you some extra food since you haven’t eaten much at breakfast. It should be  in my sack.”

Akaashi gratefully wolfed down the food .

***

“ Heeeey , Haruki-san, I heard you’ll be staying with us at Nekoma!” Bokuto hollered over the  pack of  soldiers .

“Yes, Your Highness. And please, call me Komi,  all of the soldiers do.  Would you like me to introduce you to the rest of the soldiers that will stay in Nekoma with  Akaashi-sama ?” Komi asked .

“That would  be awesome dude, I can’t wait to get to know you all better. And don’t  call me Your Highness, no one back home except for a few stuck-up nobles does, just Bokuto is fine. How did you choose who would come, though?”

“Well, up until about a year ago we were  Akaashi-sama's personal guard .  This is Konoha, our jack of all  trades,“ he pointed towards a man to his left who grinned at the nickname, “ Washio , the strong silent typ e,” who just nodded when introduced, “and finally our youngest,  Onaga-kun.”

“Hey, I’m just two years younger than you guys!” Onaga protested.

“Nice to meet you guys! Make sure to remind me to get you rooms  in the mansion and not the barracks!”

They exchanged stories after that, both thrilling and funn y ones. They were awkward at first, getting used to calling him Bokuto and not His Highness, but  it did not take long for them to warm up to him and after a while, it seemed like he was always part of their group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did u like it? what do you think? (iam fishing for comments here and i don't have the strength to feel embarrassed about it anymore) what about the backstory?   
> 🦉🦉🦉


	4. and there was only one ***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanx everyone for the comments!!!  
> 🦉🦉🦉

Akaashi could see the sun setting through the little windows in his  carriage and  _ fuck _ was it getting cold.  His  betrothed was outside, chatting with the soldiers, not once returning to the comfort of the carr iage, which made him feel both dreadful and relieved at the same time. On one hand,  it allowed him to reign in his emotions and not see the other prince in general, on the other hand, he was now plagued by the possibilit y that he had ruined the whole marriage or even the alliance even before it began. 

When the door swung open, he expected Komi-san or someone from his old personal guard, certainly  not Bokuto-san with his stupidly wide smile.

“Careful, your legs must be stiff after the long r ide and it’s easy to fall. I’d offer my arm, but I’m quite attached to my head, thank you very much. “

“Where are we?” Akaashi asked. In front of him was towering a fortress made entirely out of stone and dark woo d,  giving it a menacing look, especially in the dark. The warm light coming off from the windows cr ea ted  hauntingly  long shadows .

“ My friends Yaku and Lev live here! They’ll let us stay for tonight and set off with us for the capital in the morning. Oh man, I’m so hungry. Let’s go, ‘Kaashi.”

After making sure that he made it safely out of the carriage, Bokuto  darted towards the mai n gate to bang on it while shouting “Come on Yaku, have you gotten old and slow?  We’re here and we’re cold and hungry, let us in!”

Bokuto-san jumped away just in time for the  big gate to avoid the gate punching him in the face.  Instead, it revealed a surprisingly short person . It took only a small whiff of the wind to know he was an omega on top. Yet, there was nothing in his pose that would say  _ servi _ _ tude _ like with the noble omegas Akaashi was used to.

“You almost woke up the children, you rude bastard. Do you know what I s hould do? Let everyone in while you stay here and think about  how I’m  gonna kick your ass in the morning with my slow and old bones. Now, I’ll let you in and won’t embarrass you in front of all these foreigners , we’ll have enough time for that later, but forget about any dessert after dinner.”

He pulled Bokuto-san inside by the ear and Akaashi could not but follow in silent astonishment. He had never met an  omega acting this way, let alone to a prince. And saying he would fight Bokuto-san?  Nothing in his voice suggested he would not or it not being a fair fight. It even seemed like h e was sure he’d win. 

“Yaku, st op, I still have to introduce you to my  fiancee . ” Bokuto tugged at the man’s shirt.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” he turned around to Akaashi, bowing only so slightly, “my name is Yaku Morisuke , but just Yaku is fine. Welcome to my home, Your Highness.” With that, he disappeared into one of the unlit corridors.

The dinner was a dull affair, their soldiers weary , locals already asleep. The food was different than what he was used to,  heavier and less spicy, but at least it warmed him up from the inside. God, he hoped he’d have  a fire in his room. 

Thankfully his  fiancee did not pay him much attention, trading jabs and jokes with Yaku.  It was almost insulting how little attention they’d paid him. Oh, how he feared he wouldn’t get a single moment  to himself. He tried telling himself he should  be glad. This was, after all, what he wished for. But was he?

He signalled to the maid he was ready to  retire to his chambers . It seemed Yaku was unknowingly torturi ng him again. Why the hell did his room have to be up in a tower?  Was it so much to want to just lie down into a warm  bed ?

Thankfully his chambers had their bathroom,  a steaming bath was exactly what  he needed. Akaashi turned around to ask the maid to have the water drawn for him , but she was already leaving. Just before she disappe a red into the darkness, probably feeling his eyes on her, she turned around “Don ’t worry Your Highness, Master Bokuto will surely join you soon.  Sleep well.” She even dared to wink at him.

What did she mean by that? He was sharing a room with Bokuto-san ? Did Bokuto-san expect him to...

For better or for worse, his train of thought was interrupted by Bokuto-san  barging into the room and ungracefully plopping down onto the bed. In the clothes, he had been riding in all day. Ewww.

“Akaash? What are you doing in my room? Not that I mind, suit yourself ,” he made an exaggerated wink. “ Oh, do you need to help draw the water? Come on, I’ll show you!” he offered immediately seeing him haplessly standing in the bathroom door.

Akaashi hated it all. How he said his name, not only without any honorific but mispronouncing it on top  of that. The way he was so friendly and nice while he had no problem  abandoning him for most of the day. The winking. The way he acted as if they were friends rather than strang ers. This is not what an arranged marriage is supposed to be like!

Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Bokuto-san sneaked around him and sta r ted showing him around. Where the towels were , the toiletries, how he could just turn around a single knob and the water would come pouring out by itself.  “There are pipes with hot water running around the whole castle, transp orting hot water and warming it up. An amazing invention, isn’t it? ”

“Thank you, Bokuto-san,” he only replied, not knowing what to say. He couldn’t just complain about sharing a room after he was  so nice to him, could he? All niceties apart, where their roles reversed, Bokuto-san would be out of the room in a matter  of seconds.

“Anything for you Akaash! Let me just find you something to sleep in so you don’t freeze to death at night.  I think there might be some of my old clothes in one of the wardrobes.” 

Minutes after he emerged again, h olding a  woollen tunic so long it would comfortably reach down to  Akaashi’s knees. It was not the prettiest t hing ever, he had to admit that. It was shapeless, its mustar d colo u r faded long ago, along with some terrible embroidery on its bottom edge. But oh boy, did it seem warm and comfortable, so much more than his  light  chiffon nightgown.

He was an id i ot. The hot water made him forget all about the cold raging outside the steamy bathroom and of course he had gotten his hair wet.  Of c a use, he tried to dry it off, but as anyone with long hair knows, there is only so much you can do with just a towel.  He’d have to ask Bokuto for help. There must be so me clever thing for dry ing hair fast, right?

Whatever he expected, it was not to be just told to wait while Bokuto -san took turns in the bathroom.  What now? The minutes seemed to stretch forever, l etting  Akaashi’s mind wander far more freely than he liked, especially when it came to what was happening in the other room. 

How would Bokuto-san discard his clothes and dip into the water, his muscular arms and back straining as he lowered himself?  How the droplets of water would glisten on his skin, dipping lower and lower and lower ... How he would close his eyes at the sensation of warmth enveloping his whole body, that peaceful expression on his face. 

And when he finally emerged, it was truly a sight to behold. He looked so different with his hair down that were it not for the fact that everything about him was … distinct, one might not even recognise him. T hen his linen shirt, so opens in the front that it almost didn’t have to be there. His pants , so short they did not even cover his knees. The fact that his  fiance was the most beautiful thing at that moment .

“Akaa s hi? Is everything alright? You’re  kinda staring. Does my hair look that uncool?”

“No, it looks fine. But I still need to do something about mine, I can’t go to sleep like this.”

“Is it fine if I touch them? Your hair, I mean. I could make you a little updo so at least  it won ’ t drip down your neck.”

“I guess, but don’t tell anyone about it, okay? ” He would be touched. Even if it was his hair, even if he could not feel the warmth of  Bokuto’s skin on his,  for the first time in forever, he would be touched. 

Bokuto-san carefully untied the towel and  starting brushing his hair. Akaashi expected to be clumsy and  even a little rough, but he could barely feel him  touching it. Before carefully brushing each strand, he first held it close to its root so it wouldn’t tug . 

Before he had even finished with brushing and untangling,  Akaashi’s eyes started to water, despite his best efforts.  How much he longed to be touched all these years, to just be held in someone’s arms. He was so close.  Had he just turned around and fell into  Bokuto’s arms, no one would need to know. 

But that would be breaking the rules, and he was not here to do that. That would be indulging himself, and he was here to play the pretty bride.  And  so he let Bokuto-san work on his hair, back straight and face made out of s tone. 

To say that Bokuto-san was full of surprises would be a terrible understatement . When he  looke d into the mirror, he definitely did not expect his hair woven into a beautiful braided bun , not even a hair out of place. When he finally finished admiring his new hairstyle and touching the hair that was touched by  him just moments ago, Bokuto-san was already in the bed.

“Goodnight, Bokuto-san," he whispered into the dark, but he received no answer.

He was enveloped in warmth and some pleasant smell he could not place anywhere.  Oh. OH. He was literally wrapped around like an octopus. He was touching him. All night.  No one knew. Nobody had to know if he just unwrapped himself right now. 

But then there were those muscular arms,  definitely strong enough to lift him high in the air, and his chest now mostly uncovered. Oh, how he was tempted to trace his fingers up and down, just to explor e that uncharted territory of feelings that brought up in him.  Even when he knew he had to, pulling away from Bokuto-san felt like the least right thing he had ever done in his life. 


	5. carriage ride part 3 because i can't pace for shit

Bokuto  woke  up  with  a distinct feeling of emptiness.  But what could be missing? This was his room ever since he first came here . Then his eyes landed on his old sleepwear strewn across t he back of one of the armchairs. Akaashi. Of course. Where was he?  He could get lost!

He looked everywhere. In the dining hall. In the library.  In the kitchens. In the lounge. He asked everyone he met, but no one had seen Akaashi. Did he run aw ay? Did he find his company so terrible he had to sneak out in the middle of the night? His sh oulders started to slump , his lower lip quivering ever so slightly.

Of course, he would not want him. Why would someone like Akaashi, so beautiful and regal,  ever want him? With literally anyone being a better match than him? He could not do anything right, always messing up even the simplest  tasks.  Bokuto sulked around the garden, self-deprecating thoughts  overtaking his mind.

“Bokuto-san?” he heard a voice from afar. There was only one person who called him Bokuto-san .

“Akaashi! You didn’t run away!” he turned around, almost colliding with  Akaashi , who moved directly behind him. 

“ Of course not Bokuto-san. I just needed a while to clear my head. I am sorry if I caused any trouble for you, in retrospect, it was not the wisest thing to go out without telling anyone.” His eyes were cast down, not reaching  Bokuto’s . 

There was a moment of silence as neither of them knew what to say. Then Bokuto realised one simple thing. Akaashi w as wearing his clothes.  They were too big on him, especially on the top, but Bokuto loved it.  He still looked cold though, so Bokuto immediately took off his own cloak and wrapped it around  Akaashi’s s houlders. 

A  blush painted his mate’s cheeks, his  eyes still boring into the ground.  “We should go, Bokuto-san, I’m sure we’ll have to leave soon .” The spell was broken.

They were finally joined by Lev at breakfast, who complained about getting  up so ungodly early, even though it was already  nine in the morning by the time he arrived downstairs.  This prompted a wave of bickering between Lev and Yaku .  While Bokuto was used to such scenes, the other guests were not and even him could feel the discomfort that fil led the room. Better take off soon before anything serious happens.

🦉🦉🦉

The ride was  boooring .  Catching up with Yaku and Lev was all fun and games, they haven’t seen each other for about a yea r now, so there was a lot of stories to tell.  Yaku, as always, refused to play word games with them and Lev, although eager, was no good at them. Oh, how he missed Kuroo.  With nothing to do and soldiers too weary to  consider entertaining him for another afternoon, Bokuto decided to return to his carriage with Akaashi.  Not that his mate looked him in the eye all day, no matter how hard Bokuto tried to cheer him up. 

Akaashi was gracefully lounging on a pile of pillows,  Bokuto’s cloak wrapped up around him like a  cocoon ,  a book in one hand, the other supporting his head.  He was beautiful. Boku to tried not to disturb him, he did, even though he knew it was not entirely possible, but his mate did not once look up from his book, though it was hard to tell from where Bokuto was sitting. 

“Akaashi, don’t you want to ride with us for a while?” Bokuto asked .

“I can’t ride a horse, Bokuto-san.”

“Every noble can ride a horse ‘ Kaashi ! Or I can teach you, it’s not that hard!”

Akaashi stared at him through his long lashes as if he were an annoying  insect he could not get rid of, but did not answer. Oh well.

“What are you reading, Akaash?” he tried again.

“ _ Prominent families of Nekoma _ . I read it before, but I did not pay it much attention then since the probability of meeti ng some from these families or needing this information was very slim.”

“Oh, I loved that book!  We had so much fun with it as kids!” Bokuto sighed  blissfully , mind  wandering elsewhere for a minute.

Akaashi squinted at him suspiciously. “It doesn’t seem like your kind of literature, Bokuto-san. Are you sure  we are talking about the same book?”

“I think  so? We got our hands on a misprint back in the day …"

🦉🦉🦉

“We almost perfected the royal printing press,  Your Highness.” The man reporting to Papa  strongly resembled a weasel in both voice and looks. Not that weasels could talk, of course, that would be just silly. But if they  could, would their voice be  more squeaky like a mouse, or hissing, the way cats sometimes do? 

Oh, how he hated having to sit in on these meetings. Nothing to do for hours, just meaningless  talks of politics. It was not as much pointless as it was repetitive, the same stuff over and  over and over again .  Not enough materials in the south, not enough workers in the north, too many workers in the south and too many materials in the north. An uprising in the west. This or that house complained about a bad season and high taxes.  No building project ever could keep the schedule. 

But then there was something that piqued his attention. Did he say a misprint?  Of  _ Prominent families of Nekoma _ ?  That they could print onl y on one side of the paper? Bokuto just got  the best idea. Now, he just had to convince  Papa.

“Lord Father? If they are going to throw it out, may I have the book? ” he asked, careful not to sound too eager. 

“What for, Bokuto? There are at least two of them in the library , you can have someone find them for you.” His voice was stern, without much room for discussion, but Bokuto was not deterred.

“I have found that some of the information has changed since the book was written and would like to note them,  as well as my other findings. This misprint would be perfect for that, Lord Father,” he tried again.

Papa’s eyes have narrowed down, but he slid him the book across the table, probably more to buy his silence than  agreeing with him. He’d probably be lectured how he’s not supposed to be there to say anything, just listen and learn, asked why he could n’t be more like Kuroo, patiently listening and noting everything down.  But he was happy now, as he had gotten exactly what he wanted.

The first thing he did when he was finally alone with his new treasure? Opened it on the page with the Frosh family and drew a caricature of them like frogs.  Then, on the blank page, he wrote:  _ Renoldus _ _ Frosh is a big  _ _ crybaby _ _ and sucks on his thumb w _ _ hen he thinks nobody is watching. _ Then, after some thought, he add ed:  _ Lady Frosh smells like cheap wine. _ __ After that, every time someone made fun of him behind his back, as the Frosh family did, he would add a line or two about them to his Prominent families  of Nekoma.  The pages started to fill up way too quickly.

He was scribbling inside the book in the library one afternoon, catching up on the  Gerente family after their kids made fun of his accent again. It was not that bad these days. He had improved a lot when it came to both speakings properly and writing. 

“The youngest  Gerente boy, Filbert, still wets his bed even though h e’s already fourteen, you should add that in there.” It was Kuroo, the crown prince. 

Bokuto quickly closed his precious book and stood up to walk away. The last time he showed the prince  what he was writing, an essay about their neighbouring kingdoms, Kuroo laughed at his handwriting. He  even said it looked as if a piglet scribbled it, instead of a prince. Bokuto didn’t like his calculating cat-like eyes or the way he grinned when he found something amusing, as he often did with Bokuto fumbling around the royal customs . 

“ So you won’t tell Papa?” Bokuto asked. He must be more careful from now on.

“Of course not!  You’d get in trouble if he found out.  Come with me, there’s fa better place to do this than  here where anyone can see it , you oaf. ”

The hidden room Kuroo showed him that day stayed up to this day their favourite hiding place. After laughing at  the noble families for hours, Bokuto realised Kuroo might not be as bad as he thought, not at all the  goody-two-shoes rules-loving proper prince Papa made him out to be. And  so a lifelong friendship began.

🦉🦉🦉

“I am sure I still have the book somewhere in my room, I can show you when we get there!  I’m sure you’ll learn so much more from it,” Bokuto laughed.

“Or you could tell me yourself, Bokuto-san ,” Akaashi offered. Bokuto blushed for absolutely no reason. It was cold. Definitely.

Bokuto and Akaashi swapped  stories for the rest of the ride,  t he Sun slowly disappearing behind the horizon as the neared  Nekoma city.


	6. and then there were owls

Nekoma city  almost quiet when they rode in,  at least compared to what he was told,  the Sun already far away behind the horizon . H e heard how workshops and manufactures rumbled all over th e city, the vast array of people trying to get from one place to another with vendors shouting all over each other, trying to attract as much  attention as possible. Now, a  completely different kind of establishments came to life.  Pubs filled with laughter and music on every corner , occasional door signed by just a red lantern, theatres with people in fancy clothing  chatting outside.

The royal palace was like a beacon adorning the  centre of Nekoma city. He could see its high walls from afar, said to surround the most beautiful gardens in Nekoma,  filled with flowers and architecture from all over the world. 

The moment he stepped out of his carriage he was  surrounded by servants, hushing him to towards the front entrance. “Where is Bokuto-san?” he asked into the crowd of omegas, but the only ans wer was a collective Awwwwww.

The castle was built out of dark red brick -or was it  stone?- that almost seemed black in the dark , its main gate like a mouth from a great beast.  The stench of his unease penetrated the air. Where were his guards? He could not turn  around , they were moving too quickly and there was too many of them. Were they taking him to his rooms? What was happening ?

Then a great door swung open and he was standing in the throne room, suddenly alone as the  omegas scattered to the sides. It was not as if this was his  first time meeting Kuroo,  but he still felt the jitter in his fingertips, the overwhelming urge to fiddle with them. It was the room, he told himself.  The walls were dark grey, the floor laid with black tile , t he only dash of colo u r the blood-red banners hanging  from the ceiling . It w as not bigger than the throne room back home, but he felt tiny in here like he didn’t belong.

“Welcome Akaashi- san .  How was the journey?  I sincerely apologize that you had to leave your home on such short notice,” Kuroo said, his voice echoing a round the room.

Akaashi strode further inside, schooling his face as to not betray his fraying nerves.  “I am  eternally grateful to be welcomed into such a great family,  Your Majest y. Thankfully our journey was not long and devoid of any obstacles,  but if you excuse me, I would like to retire to my rooms now.”

“I’ll take you.”  Kenma lazily  got up from his chair next to the throne. He handed his book to Kuroo “Take it to our room, I want to con tinue later.” With that, he set off deeper into the palace, dismissing the flock of omegas with a single flick of his wrist.

“So, how was really your journey ?”  Kenma asked the moment they were alone.

“They didn’t even give me time to properly pack my things, I yelled at Bokuto-san even though he was just trying to help because I was so stressed out and I think Yaku hates me ,” Akaashi sighed.

“Yaku doesn’t hate you, he just takes time to warm up to people, trust me.  Is everything alright with Bo?”

“Yeah.” He was sure  Kenma noticed how hard he was blushing, even in the dark.  “Where is he, by the way? We got separated at the main entrance.”

“He doesn’t live in the main building.  There is a mansion in the gard ens for the rest of the royal family, but right now he lives there alone .”

His chambers were magnificent. Dark wooden floor and panelling made a lovely pair with the baby blue wallpaper. He had a huge canopy  bed with multiple pillows and warm heavy blankets. There was a whole room just for his clot hes and a bathroom  similar to the one  he had in Yaku’s castle. He had a whole room for accepting guests  and a small study. He could stay holed up in here for weeks.

🦉🦉🦉

The very next morning he realised he could not, in fact, stay holed up in his rooms for weeks, since there were so many things that needed his attention when it came to  planning the we dding. The guest list, the food, the entertainment, the clothes .  Yes, he was used to planning  various feasts and events, but no one ever asked him where  should the leftover food go or what colours should the flowers be. Oh, how he missed  Yukie.

At least he didn’t have to do this alone, even though  Kenma’s help mostly consisted of him reading in the corner and occasional  grunt or sigh. He only interfered when it came to various Nekoma traditions Akaashi had no  idea about. 

No matter how many people trickled in and out of his rooms, his  fiancé was not one of them. It did not bother him much the first day , after all, if he was busy,  Bokuto -san was surely as well.  On the second day, i t was an occasional p ang of disappointment when the person appearing in his door was not  Bokuto -san .  Now that his third day in the palace  was nearing to its end,  his brain was ready to snap.

It was not that he wanted to see his  fiancé , or at least he tried telling that himself,  but what  mortified him the most was the unknown. Was he mad at him? What if something happened to him? Maybe he didn’t want to talk to him now that he had better things to do. 

Someone knocked on his door. Who would bother him at such a late hour? Even  Kenma was already gone. Probably one of the  servants. 

He opened the door to a beaming Yukie. “ Akaashi-sama , I missed you so  much!” She fell on the floor, forehead pressed to the ground. And behind her, smiling, stood Bokuto-san. 

“Shirofuku-san, please stand up. They have different customs in here, so you don’t have to do it. When did you even arrive?  I thought you had to stay?”

“ When yesterday two of  Bokuto’s men arrived, we were all so worried that something happened to you. They gave y our father a letter and before I knew it, I was packing my stuff to come here! ”

“Thank you for coming, Shirofuku-san. You may now go and settle fo r the night, I’m sure you must be exhausted .”

“As you command  Akaashi-sama !” Yukie excitedly ran off and Bokuto-san also turned around to leave.

“Bokuto-san, would you like to come inside?”  What was he thinking, inviting an alpha into his rooms this late? What would he think of him?  What if someone else heard them?

All of his doubts were erased when  Bokuto -san turned around, the widest smile on his face. “You’d really want me to?”

He did not catch enough breath to answer, so he just  beckoned with his hand, closing the door after him. How could he miss someone he barely knew so  much? The logical answer was, of course, that he didn’t really miss him. He just had to leave the only place he had ever known and  besides  Kenma and Kuroo he didn’t know anyone in his new home, so it was  not strange that he gravitated towards a figure such as Bokuto-san, who was very inviting and nice to him. 

And it is not that strange that he would invite his  fiance into his rooms, albeit late in the evening, when the wedding preparations take up  all of the proper hours for a visit.  No need to panic. He slowly breathed out.

“ Thank you for taking the time to bring Shirofuku-san to me, I am sure you must be busy. ”

“Surely not as much as you, ‘Kaashi! I’m just training with my men and making su re we have enough guards for the wedding and stuff .”

“Then why didn’t you come and visit me?” flew out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Bokuto-san, thankfully , seemed to be fazed by neither his question nor his tone.

“Well,  Kenma told me how busy you were and how tired you are of people constantly bugging you, so I thought the leas t I could do was to not be a bother to you. That’s why I had sent for Yukie, so you had s omeone you knew who had experience with these things helping  you. “

Oh.  So he was being considerate because he thought Akaashi didn’t want to see him.  Now, how was he supposed to tell him he would like to see him more often without sounding too eager? “Well, now that  Shirofuku-san is here, I am sure I will be  less occupied, so you can visit me. W ill you show me where you live?”

“It’s mostly empty now, so not much to see. It’s my fault, I guess,  for spending so little time in there,” he shrugged.

“But I’m going to live there too, right? After we marry?”  Akaashi’s curiosity was getting better of him. How terrible was it if even  Bokuto -san didn’t want to talk about it?  So he put on his puppy eyes and waited.

“Fine, I will show you. Come on,” he got up from his seat and  opened the hidden servant door. 

“Right now? Through there?” The passage was pitch black.  If anyone saw them, the rumours would be impossible to stop. His father would be furious. He desperately wanted to go.

Bokuto -san picked up a decorative scarf ly ing on the table and tied one end on  Akaa shi’s wrist, the other on his own. “Now I can lead through there without touching, see? It will be an adventure, come! ” He set off without waiting for an answer Akaashi followed.

The passages were not that bad once his eyes got used to the dark and  Bokuto -san was thankfully walking very slowly so that the scarf rarely tugged at his wrist.  How he was able to navigate through the maze and not end up in some lord’s bedroom by accident  was a total mystery to him .  Then a surprisingly short trip through the gardens and they were there, or at least he supposed they were.

The house may have seemed tiny compared to the castle, but it could have about  thirty rooms, maybe more.  It looked as if plucked from a picture with its white stucco walls and  pastel curtains peeking from behind French windows. Why were they so reluctant to show  it to  him ? Yes, it may not have been as imposing as the castle, but it was perfect in his eyes all the same. 

Then  Bokuto -san opened the front door and the realisation struck him. There was no  furniture in the hall, just painting covered by the cloth as to not gather dust.  When he peeked at the rooms they were passing by, it was all the same. Furniture covered by  large pieces of white fabric. It almost looked  abandoned , if not for the lack of  cobwebs and thick layers of du st . 

“How can you live here? ”

“A bit eerie, isn’t it? Don’t worry, they’ll put it in proper shape when you move in, I just never sa w the point in them cleaning all these rooms when I never use them anyway. Sometimes I’m not in the capital for weeks , and even then it’s just a place to sleep.”

“May I see your room,  Bokuto -san?” Akaashi whispered into  his ear , his lips almost brushing his earlobe. Shame his eyes did no t linger long enough on him to see him turning into a tomato.

His room was nothing like he expected but so much  Bokuto -san at the same time, being almost an attic roo m with big roof windows. The bed was built with wooden panelling around it with  a platform on top laid out with furs, blankets and pillows.  The walls were lined with bookshelves filled to the brim with mismatched items from, he assumed,  Bokuto -san ’s travels and occasional books .  The floor was covered with mismatched rugs piled on top of each other.  His desk, almost invisible under the piles of  papers, scrolls and maps ,  with only a small, cleared out space for a now empty plate and a cup of water,  made out of sturdy dark wood and  drawers on each side. What was more interesting though were the pictures hanging on the wall in front of it. Not any  fancy paintings, but simple drawings of owls, mostly sleeping ones, without even frames. 

“Are these yours, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked softly.

“No. Well, yes. Not all of them. The good ones are Kuroo’s. He taught me how to draw.  They’re not any good though.”

“I like them.”

“You do? Really?”

“Of course, I have no reason to lie about it. Besides, I like owls .”

“Do you  wanna see some? Come on, I’ll show you something!” 

He tugged at the scarf still binding their wrists together and shot out of the room. Turned out, they did not have to go far . There was a hidden staircase just outside of  Bokuto -san ’s room  leading up and into the owlery. It was quite big, at least for the fact that he did not see it while stan ding outside, which was probably due to the dark and it being on the opposite side of the house.  There was barely room for  both of them to stand comfortably next to each other  without disturbing the owls or touching.

Owls were flying in and out, some of them bringing back pray they caught to feed on. A great horned owl was watching them carefully, and when  Bokuto -san extended his  hand towards it. Akaashi almost jumped back in surprise when it spread its wings and sat right  on it, fluffing up its feathers while doing so.

“His name is  Little . We found him a few years  ago with a broken wing and brought him back here.  I’m sure he’s  gonna fall in love with you if you bring him meat sometimes, he has absolutely no morals. ” He stuck out his tongue at the owl and it hooded at him back, sounding almost insulted.

“Why do you call him Little? He isn’t exactly small.”

“Well, Kuroo always said he looked like a mini-version of me, so we named him Little Bokut o, but I call him just Little.” Now that he pointed it out, Akaa shi had no idea how he could not see it in the first place. The eyes. The hair. Even the expressions.

The bird, probably not too fond of being ogled without receiving anything in exchange set of into the starry night with just a single  hoo for a goodbye .  So there was he left, staring at Bokuto -san ’s face, not being able to tear himself away , but he did not look away, staring unabashedly back, as if  Akaashi ’s face contained all the secrets of the universe.

Then their lips were connected and oh God did they fit perfectly  together. His hands wrapped around  Bokuto ’s neck, leaning into his  rock hard chest while his own body was melting.  His lips were on fire, but he could not stop . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, thanx 4 reading, i just want to let u know I will be editing the tags next chapter and also the rating may change in the future ;)


	7. this one is a convoluted mess and i don't have the strenght to care anymore

rt “This was a mistake.”  Only the smell of his arousal penetrating the air betrayed his statement, his face schooled into a perfect poker face .

“I’m sorry, ‘Kaashi . I know I wasn’t supposed to touch you...” 

Listening tore  Akaashi’s heart into pieces, but he knew this was the only way. “No, I should be sorry , Bokuto-san. I have no feelings of this kind towards you, this was only a result of my buil t-up need to be touched. I promise you it won’t happen again , as it was solely a mistake on my part . Now, I would like to be taken back to my rooms.” It took  all of his self-control for his lip not to start quivering, for him to not take it all back.

The trip back was as uncomfortable as he expected,  and for once he was grateful for the  dark so he was not able to see  Bokuto’s expression. Only when they finally arrived into his chambers and Bokuto started to untie their hands, he gathered the courage to look up.

“Bokuto-san? No one can know about this, do you understand? It would destroy us both.” With that he wriggled his wrist free and almost ran into his bedroom, no longer being able to look at  Bokuto’s tear-stained face.

🦉🦉🦉

“ Keiji , you’re burning up.”

“Would you like some water Akaashi-sama?”

“Wake up, we need to talk.”

Kenma , Kuroo and Yukie were standing  looming over him.  Had he overslept?  His whole body was on fire, the soft fabric suddenly feeling like  sandpaper.  Maybe he was sick after traipsing around yesterday without wearing warm clothes.  This could not be it. This could not be it. It just couldn’t.

“You’re in heat,  Keiji . We’ll have to move you to the tower before anyone finds out.”  Kenma tried pushing him out of the bed, but  to no avail, he was buried too deep in his blankets.

“No offence Your Grace, but it is not  Akaashi-sama's time yet and his heats are very regular , ” Yukie tried to protest , but to no avail.

“ Please, Yukie, remind Akaashi what happens to an Untouched omega when they are finally touched, ” Kuroo smirked at him. Oh, he  should have known they would find out. Even if the suppressants worked, he reeked of  Bokuto.

“They go into heat?” her voice drawled out in  realisation, eyes blown wide as she stared at him.

“We’ll use a passage to get  him into the tower , there won’t be any servants  using it now ,” Kuroo commanded as he picked the nearly unconscious Akaashi up. 

He had no idea how long it took them to get there, but his new rooms were far colder than his previous one , the cold draft softly caressing his burning skin.  Kuroo and Yukie left almost immediately, probably full hands with the mess he’d made, but  Kenma stayed, silent and unmoving, watching him accusingly.

“Will you send me back home?  Is the marriage over?” Akaashi asked quietly,  a fraid of the answer but terrif ied of not knowing. 

“No.” Oh, how cruel could  Kenma be to make him ask  everything explicitly now that his mind was slowly leaving him, overwhelmed by the pain and  heightened senses.  But he deserved it f or the problems  and pain  his  temerity  has caused .

“What will happen now?” He could not bring himself to ask about Bokuto. He was better off not knowing. He did not deserve to know.

He slowly walked over to the bath in the other corner of the room, drawing in cold water. He could try scrubbing off the smell of Bokuto from his skin and cool off , killing two birds with one stone. Stripping without further irritating his skin was an ordeal he  was not quite successful in . When he finally plopped into the water,  Kenma honoured him with an answer.

“ The official report will be that you got ill a nd do not wish to see anyone, hoping to get better for the wedding. However, with the help of Yukie,  we will spread rumours that you refuse to go through with the wedding and  demand to go home. ”

🦉🦉🦉

Bokuto was hiding in his room , sulking, when Yaku barged in, almost kicking out the doors. 

“Good morning sunshine, we’re going on a trip. Now get your ass out of that bed , the horses are already readied.”

“I’m not  gonna ,” the huge pile of blankets shifted , hiding the few  remaining  visible parts of Bokuto.

“Stop being a baby,” Yaku sighed and plopped down on the bed next to him. “What happened anyway?  Only thing I heard is that the Fukurodani prince made a huge scene and refuses to go through the wedding,  so now he’s locked up in a tower or something.”

“I’m not supposed to tell anyone,”  Bokuto’s face peeked out from under the blankets.

“And when did that ever stop you?” Yaku laughed out, patting the pile.

“’ Kaashi could get into big trouble. Do you think he hates me that much?”  His eyes started to water again.

“He’s just a stupid little princeling who will never deserve you.  Now let me come under the blankets and cuddle the shit out of you until your whole squad thinks we’re fucking … again.”

🦉🦉🦉

Akaashi was just about to slip into his night robe, despite it being  just around noon when the door to his room opened again. He expected  Kenma or Yukie,  but the  omega smelled so heavily of  Bokuto it was as if his  fiance himself came through the door . His knees betrayed him mid-step, letting him  collapse onto the stone floor like a house of cards . 

What was Yaku doing here?  Before he could  even blink, there was a dagger press ed at his throat.  “Now, little prince, what the fuck did you  do to Bokuto?”

S o this is what this was about.  There were a million things he wanted to say, to explain,  but the only thing he could get out was a quiet whine as the sharp pain in his abdomen got worse and  worse.

“Oh, I know what you did, can smell it right on you. You touched him, did n’t you?  But it lingers even after the bath, even though the stench of your heat... You kissed him.” Finally, the dagger was gone from his throat and back at Yaku’s waist, but even with his brain scrambled fro m the heat he knew that made very little diffe re nce .

He could only nod as he pathetically wriggled  on the floor to pick up the night robe he dropped as he fell. For what, he did not know. To  maintain some semblance of modesty? “I didn’t plan on kissing him, it just happened. Instincts or something.  Would you tell him that I’m sorry?”

“Are you sorry for kissing him or for what you said afterwards? Because I know how he looks at you like you are the  most perfect being to ever grace the earth, and how you look at him like he is a bumbling idiot and I don’t like it one bit. But I trusted Kuroo when he said you will be good for him until you made him  fucking miserable. I won’t tell him shit from you. ”

“I didn’t want to hurt him.”

“Don’t lie to me, because you and I, we are the same. You wanted to hurt him so that you didn’t have to deal  with your feelings because you  are scared of them. ” With that, he was gone  as quickly as he appeared.

Only now he realised how cold the floor was and climbed onto the bed to ponder upon what Yaku said.  Of course, he was afraid! He was forced to leave his home, the only place he knew, sent off to marry someone he barely knew with the  fate of both of their countries depending on their marriage.

He had to endure just one more fortnight without touching anyone and he could not even do that. If anyone found out, his father would have to insist on obeying the law and executing Bokuto, which would  destroy their alliance and start a war. He would be disgraced and held hostag e. 

He was not scared, he was terrified.

🦉🦉🦉

Aunt Gwendolyn was old, older than most people he knew , and very bitter. She was already both when he first met her, maybe just a tiny bit les s.  Even after being properly accepted into the royal family, Bokuto still slept with the other soldiers at the barracks and after his classes  en ded he shed his fancy clothes to play with poor  kids on the streets of Nekoma city. 

That was why one day his aunt Gwendolyn  shuffled into the barracks to scream down his captain, a war veteran and the most intimidating person he knew , stole this title for herself and became his new official chaperone.

The Serenity Manor was a beautiful, well-kept house when he was welcomed into its household.  It was built for the other, less important members of the royal family , to live in a more peaceful environment rather than in the main palace. 

“I heard you have an owlery, aunt Gwendolyn,” Bokuto traipsed next to the old crone , pestering her with questions.

“Lady Gwendolyn, I am no aunt of yours,” she  reprimanded him while tugging on his ear.

“Can I sleep  in the owlery, Lady Gwendolyn?” 

“ No.”

“ _ May _ I sleep in the owlery, Lady Gwendolyn?”

“No, and i f you won’t be quiet, I will make you train your writing with me for three more hours today. ”

Upon their arrival to the manor, he was properly introduced to its other residents , probably just as a torture device to test his proper manners and ability to withstand pointy questions  about his childhood. There was Lady  M adallaine , sister of the Queen, and her seven children , King’s younger brother Ser  Jerome with his beautiful wife Eve ,  his cousin  Geoffrei , orphaned at the age of three , raised by the omnipresent Lady Gwendolyn , and  many servants.

In the end, they didn’t allow him to sleep in the owlery, but he got the  next best thing, a room right next to it.  They laughed at his joy from being able to sleep there, calling it shabby, peasant-like and well suited for someone like him, but he didn’t care.

Yes, it was shabby compared to their rooms, but  he never had a place he could call his own before. Besides, it meant none of them would be visiting and it was too far up the sta irs for aunt Gwen to bother.

He had to attend breakfasts, lunches a s well as dinners with them, forever under everyone’s watchful eye, trying to catch any mistake, any proof he did not belong with them . Those who did not dislike him simply didn’t care, too preoccupied with their  own lives to make a living hell out of a little boy’s life.

Most of them were dead now. Lady  Madallai ne, as well as four of her children, died  in the first wave of the Crimson Death , followed soon  by both Ser Jerome and his wife.  Cousin  Geoffrei became a page to some unimportant knight only to be killed in  one of the many raids by Shiratorizawa. And after successfully marrying  off Lady  Madallaine’s remaining children,  all daughters, even  aunt Gwen retired to her  estate in the mountains. 

And so, just at the age of sixteen, Bokuto had the manor all to himself .


End file.
